Policy regimes and policy change: Comparing higher education reform policy in three European countries

Abstract

This analysis of higher education reform in England, Norway, and Sweden is based on a dynamic regime approach. I make the argument that variations in policy can be explained in terms of characteristics of policy regimes defined as the network of actors and patterns of influence that are particular to a policy area or an entire polity. I define policy content as policy design operationalized as a set of characteristics of the policy instruments that are deployed. The paper first outlines and analyzes the policy design of recent higher education reforms by focusing on the choice of policy instruments. Then it turns to the regime characteristics of higher education policy and develops the concepts that are used for the analysis of regime changes. I discuss both the roles of the main actors, including central government agencies, local institutions, elites, and interest groups and the relationship between the actors. Finally, follows a discussion of processes of change within dynamic policy regimes and the main empirical analyses of regime changes and emerging policies under the current policy regimes. The paper concludes that the relationship between policy regime and policy design manifested itself as different policy styles. The English policy style was revolutionary, the Norwegian incremental, whereas the Swedish was adversarial.

Citation

Bleiklie, I. (2000), "Policy regimes and policy change: Comparing higher education reform policy in three European countries", Kalleberg, R., Engelstad, F., Brochmann, G., Leira, A. and Mjøset, L. (Ed.) Comparative Perspectives on Universities (Comparative Social Research, Vol. 19), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 101-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0195-6310(00)80022-8